Travel & Culture

#PLAYWELL AND REJUVENATE WITH YOUR FAMILY AT THE WESTIN MALDIVES MIRIANDHOO RESORT

Published

1 year ago

30/08/2022

MNN

Westin Hotels & Resorts believes that all guests should leave feeling better than when they arrived — and kids are not an exception to this promise. Their program “Westin Family” promotes well-being, sparks curiosity, and creates fun active moments for families as a whole.

Whether one is looking for a relaxing getaway or a fun-filled family adventure, The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort is the ideal setting for a multi-generational escape. Nestled on a beautiful coral island of the BAA Atoll, the first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve site in the Maldives, the five-star wellness resort is designed by award-winning architects PEIA Association from Italy, featuring 70 spacious villas, four restaurants and bars, the Heavenly Spa by Westin, the 24-hour WestinWORKOUT fitness center and the Westin Family. Family friendly offerings at the resort include exploring the underwater world and its rich fauna and flora, to the Westin Kids Club, an interactive environment that offers fun, games, and educational activities focusing on art & culture and marine life for the little ones, giving parents a well-deserved break.

To accommodate family stays, a generously sized two-bedroom villa with pool is the perfect choice with its beachfront location and ocean views. The private deck and plunge pool provides an ideal space for children to enjoy the outdoors whilst parents relax from the comfort of their suite. Covering almost 300 square meters and sleeping up to four, this suite features a king sized and two double Westin Heavenly® Beds plus a signature Heavenly Bath®.

At 500 square meters, the spacious Heavenly Beach Residence with pool is the largest on offer at The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort. Breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding Indian Ocean can be appreciated from the private pool and extensive deck, where guests can also follow steps that lead straight into the sparkling lagoon below. The light-filled open-plan living room area is furnished with a kitchenette and an additional powder room for guests visiting the villa. Furthermore, there is also accommodation onsite for the guests’ staff and direct access to the kitchenette.

Inspired by ‘Eat Well’ concept, one of the Westin’s six pillars of well-being, the resort extends inspiring balanced menu, promoting guests to feel better while also indulging in variety of cuisines. The menu is curated with a selection of nutritious dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. It also focuses on giving guests the freedom to select any dish they wish to eat and twist it according to their preferences.

Guests can relish a culinary journey through inspiring dining options, including the signature Japanese restaurant The Pearl, contemporary international cuisine at Island Kitchen, and authentic Asian street fusion restaurant, Hawker, one of the most popular in the Maldives. On Tuesdays, the resort offers #EatWell complimentary cooking classes, a perfect family activity.

The resort has also launched a Popsicle Shop with a wide range of homemade popsicles based on seasonal fruits and healthy ingredients. From cola charcoal, pandan coconut to acai raspberry, as well as more traditional flavors such as chocolate, strawberry or orange, with many options of toppings to add and personalize a refreshing treat for children and adults alike.

The Westin Family Kids Club® features fun, games, and educational activities giving parents a well-deserved break. Safe and supervised, the kids club is available for children between 4 and 12 years offering a diverse program of activities aimed to ignite curiosity and encourage excitement. The grouper-fish-inspired design facility includes an indoor and outdoor playground. From the moment they come in through the doors, the young guests will be immersed in creative crafts, engaging resort-wide treasure hunts, active play including nature walk, fussball competitions, and can even hit the courts for a game of tennis. The varied schedule also includes interactive opportunities to introduce the young explorers to Maldivian culture, tradition and cuisine, plus learn about our rich and colorful local

The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resorts presents endless possibilities for a memorable getaway with your loved ones. The special Westin Family Getaway Package includes breakfast buffet for up to 2 adults and up to 2 children, a children’s welcome amenity including a Westin Family Travel Journal designed to engage children from 3-12 years old, complimentary access to Westin Family Kids Club, local activity guide, use of snorkeling equipment and ocean kayaks (up to two hours) and late check-out subject to availability.

Source: Visit Maldives

Travel & Culture

China on track to becoming top source market for tourist arrivals by year’s end

Published

2 weeks ago

23/09/2023

Tourism Minister, Dr Abdulla Mausoom has said that China, to which Maldives opened borders earlier this year, will become Maldives’ number one source market for tourism arrivals by the end of the year.

So far this year, 133,962 tourists have arrived from China. That is 10 percent of the total 1.3 million tourists.

As of July this year, 78,158 tourists visited Maldives from China. Since then, more than 50,000 tourists have come from the country in the past one and a half months alone.

Russia has the highest number of tourists so far this year. 152,967 tourists have visited from the country so far, or 11.7 percent of the total.

The second most tourists have visited from India, which is 144,041 tourists or 11 percent.

“China, which is only 1.5 percent behind Russia and 0.8 percent behind India, is fast approaching Maldives’ number one tourist market,” Mausoom said.

He said if it goes at this rate, the Chinese market is expected to top the list before the end of the year.

Source(s): sun.mv

Travel & Culture

Fee increased for tourist vessels docking in Maldives

Published

3 weeks ago

17/09/2023

Anew rule has been gazetted to increase the fees of tourist vessels coming to Maldives.

According to the rules, which were gazetted on Thursday, a tourist vessel must arrive in Maldives after arranging an agent to take care of business for the vessel.

Such agentship shall be available to people who have been authorized by the Customs to act as agents for foreign vessels arriving in Maldives under the prescribed regulations. If the agent assigned to the vehicle changes, the Ministry must be notified within three days of the change.

It shall be the responsibility of the agent in charge of any vessel brought into the Maldives under these rules to pay any fees or taxes payable before the vessel leaves. It is also the responsibility of the agent to obtain the permit and pay the fees as per the new regulations.

If the vessel is larger than 20 metres, the cruising permit holders will be required to pay US$100 per day to the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority during the period of docking the vessel in Maldives. Vehicles smaller than 20 meters will not be charged any fee for 90 days.

In addition, foreign tourist vessels docked and operating in Maldivian territory for more than one year will be allowed to do so upon payment of US$3,500 for renewal of the permit.

The ministry said that if the rules are violated, the violator will be fined a large amount. The rules, gazetted Thursday, impose a fine of $1,000 for the first violation, $2,000 for the second violation and $6,000 for more than two violations.

Source{s}: sun.mv

Travel & Culture

Most tourists visited from China last month

Published

1 month ago

04/09/2023

Data shows that most people visited Maldives from China last month after the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism, Sri Lanka achieved a growth of 1553.4 percent in the Chinese market in July.

China was the largest tourist market in Maldives until 2019.

Before the outbreak, 284,029 tourists arrived from China in 2019. This accounted for 16.7 percent of the total tourist arrivals that year.

The number of Chinese tourists fell sharply in March 2020 following the closure of the Chinese border during the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend continued until the border reopened this year after three years.

China resumed direct flights to Maldives on January 18, 2023. A total of 92,391 tourists visited Maldives from China as of July this year. The number of tourists that visited Maldives last month was 151,587 people. Out of that 28939 tourists were from China.

China is currently the third-largest tourist market in Maldives.

The Ministry of Tourism said the number of Chinese tourists has been growing rapidly in the past six months since China opened to travel. The ministry said it hoped to achieve pre-pandemic levels as soon as possible.

Source(s): sun.mv